SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A third major party leader will be touching down in Yellowknife on Thursday, as his party's popularity surges in polls around Canada.

Unofficial signs touting political messages, like this one on Franklin Avenue, are sprouting up all over town. According to a spokesperson from Elections Canada, the Elections Act states signs have to be authorized by the official agent, either of the party or of the candidate, showing very clearly on the signs and they also have to be reported as an election expense. If signs are placed on public property, they fall under the jurisd iction of municipal bylaws and if they are on private property, they are only allowed through the authorization of the property owner. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo

Dennis Bevington's campaign office confirmed NDP party leader Jack Layton will be arriving in Yellowknife late Wednesday and will have a breakfast meet and greet at Bevington's campaign office on Thursday morning from 7:30-8:30 a.m.

"Everyone's welcome to that. It's a chance to meet and greet Jack," said Bevington.

Layton will then be heading to St. Patrick High School at 10 a.m. for a one-hour talk with students from there and other schools around town, before he leaves Yellowknife for other stops along the campaign trail.

"It's the last four days of the federal election campaign and the federal politician, the one that's the hottest in the country right now, it's great that he's coming to Yellowknife on his final push for the election day," said Bevington.

Election night gatherings

Five weeks of campaigning, hundreds of doors knocked on, candidate's signs sprouting up throughout town - it all comes to a head on Monday. On election night, as the votes roll in and stress levels peak, four of the five Western Arctic candidates will be parked around the NWT capitol with friends and supporters.

Dennis Bevington will be hosting an election get-together at the old Pentecostal Church on 49th Street, now the Artist Run Community Centre. The NDP campaign office stated the gathering would commence around 7:30 p.m., as soon as the polls officially close.

Western Arctic Liberal hopeful Joe Handley will be settling in a few blocks away at the Top Knight.

Green Party candidate Eli Purchase said he will be "hanging out with friends and supporters at the campaign headquarters watching the results come in" on Burwash Drive This event will commence around 6 or 7 p.m. Monday with a barbecue.

Conservative candidate Sandy Lee will be in Yellowknife, however, her campaign office said no other details for her election evening have been finalized.

Bonnie Dawson, candidate for the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada, said she would be at home in Hay River as the election results come in.

Polls close in the NWT at 7:30 p.m., according to Elections Canada. Spokesperson James Hale said the ballot-counting process is set out in the Elections Act.

"Anyone involved in the process, hired by Elections Canada, goes through a training process. They are all well aware of what the act calls for. There is no variation from poll to poll across the country, (the votes) are counted exactly the same way," he said.

According to the act, immediately after the close of a polling station, the deputy returning officer counts the votes in the presence of the poll clerk and any candidates or their representatives who are present. Results will start coming in around 8 p.m. and can be viewed live on the Elections Canada website.

Candidate unveil platforms

Over the past few weeks, candidates have been unveiling their platforms on both national and Northern issues.

The Liberal party is supporting youth employment through a Youth Hiring Incentive for small- and medium-sized businesses. The Liberals are also pledging an additional $200 million for aboriginal post-secondary students on top of the Liberals' Kelowna Accord of 2005 where $5 billion over 10 years was earmarked to help aboriginal Canadians. The party is also hoping to introduce $40 million over two years to improve rural health services.

The Conservatives' platform reiterates the party's pledge to end the long-gun registry, extend the mineral exploration tax credit, develop a $150-million all-weather road linking Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk, new investments in First Nations land management, and allow First Nations to promote the development of their reserve lands and resources.

The NDP platform sets out to increase the residency portion of the Northern Residents Tax Deduction whereby the portion of the deduction would be indexed to a Northern inflation measurement. The party said it would create a Northern Highways investment fund and begin with development of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk link, reduce the small business tax rate to nine from 11 per cent and support $1 billion per year investment over the next four years in education funding and learning services provided to First Nations children, youth and adults.

The Green party has its full platform online, as do all the parties, yet Western Arctic candidate Eli Purchase's NWT website focuses on his priorities such as the development of increased infrastructure spending as well as funding and implementing renewable and cheap energy alternatives.

Purchase said "local issues and interests trump any and all party policies and priorities" and also said he would only accept half of an MP's base salary of $157,000, with the other half going to registered charities and community organizations in the NWT.

Bonnie Dawson, an Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada candidate, did not have a Northern platform posted on her campaign website.

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